‘My dad missed out on so much – I want to stop other families losing a loved one’

A mum whose dad died of undetected heart disease is raising money to help save others’ lives in the future.

Michelle Brown was just 21 when her dad Stewart Morrison died. A post-mortem found he had coronary heart disease, affecting the arteries to his heart, as well as a blood clot in his main artery. 

The experience had a profound impact on her life and she now works with the cardiology team at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate, co-ordinating appointments for people to have pacemakers and other devices fitted.

Michelle, 51, who lives in Herne Bay, said: “I have learned so much since working here, and the team are absolutely amazing with a huge amount of knowledge and skill.

“I feel encouraged that if it had happened today, my dad would be able to have treatment and would most likely survive.

“He has missed out on so much; he has never met my son, and didn’t get to see me married. But I hope by raising money I can help other families avoid being in the same situation.”

 The mum, who has a son and a step-daughter, is taking on the Kent ultra-challenge in October to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. She and a friend will trek 31 miles over the Kent Downs, starting and ending at Detling showground, and she hopes to raise £500.

 She said: “There is so much more awareness now and, looking back, my dad had a lot of the warning signs.

“His blood pressure was through the roof at the age of just 36, he smoked and drank, and he had frequent bouts of what he thought was indigestion. It was probably cardiac related.

“He was only 46 when he died and I don’t want anyone else to have to lose someone to heart disease if it can be prevented.”

Michelle had a 30-year career in finance before deciding to move into healthcare, initially as a healthcare assistant on Deal ward at the QEQM.

She said: “I had worked in dementia homes for some extra money and I found it really rewarding, so thought I would give it a go.

“I wasn’t happy in finance but I was comfortable so it took a while for me to have the courage to take that step.

“I was in my late 40s when I retrained but I never felt out of place and I was always accepted and welcomed by the team.”

Back problems meant Michelle had to give up working on the wards but she wanted to stay in the NHS so when she saw the vacancy with the cardiac team she decided to give it a go.

She said: “It has been fantastic, I have been able to see some of the scans they can do now and learn about the interventions available.

“So many people now survive heart disease and I hope by raising money it will go towards more research so even more can survive in the future.”

You can donate to Michelle’s JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/michelle-brown-3